Welcome to the Village of Moreland Hills Site

A Message from Mayor Susan C. Renda

Dear Resident,

Council passed the village’s annual budget at its March 8 meeting. We met in committee the preceding week to thoroughly discuss the budget and finances of the village. As you may know, the financial bottom line of many Ohio communities has decreased dramatically over the last eight years due to the elimination of the estate tax in Ohio, the dramatic decrease in the state’s Local Government Fund and the elimination of reimbursements from the state. Moreland Hills is not exempt from the effects of the loss of revenue: the Village has lost, on average, nearly $350,000 per year due to the actions of the state.

In 2014 and 2015 expenses for the village were significantly higher than revenues. That situation did not occur again in 2016 because we chose to have a very small road program and did not incur major capital expenses. However, as you know we need to consistently fund road repairs to maintain the roads in good condition. Furthermore, service trucks and police cars need to be replaced regularly.

Thankfully the village’s reserves are sufficient to carry us over in the short term because of our sound fiscal management over the last decade. However, the current situation is unsustainable in the long run. Our Treasurer, Prashant Shah, estimates that we will completely deplete our reserves in the next five to six years. Because Village government has been fiscally prudent and frugal, there is no fat to be trimmed from the budget. We have shared programs, equipment and personnel with other communities as much as possible. Cutting expenses at this point would mean cutting crucial programs or critical personnel.